Twilio · Make a call — Rings a number and reads out a message — calls a phone from one of your Twilio numbers. When they answer, Twilio reads your message aloud, then hangs up. Use it for alerts someone should not miss, or reminders by voice.

Who can do this

Workspace Admins and Editors, on every plan. Viewers see the step's settings but cannot change them.

Before you start

  • A Twilio connection in this workspace — see Connect Twilio.
  • A Twilio number that can make calls.
  • On a trial account, the number you call verified in Twilio.

Steps

  1. Select + where the call should be made. In the step picker, open Apps, select Twilio, then Make a call.
  2. In Connection, choose your Twilio connection.
  3. In From, choose one of the account's phone numbers — The account's numbers. A call goes from a number, not a messaging service.
  4. In To, the number to call with + and the country code — for example +919876543210 (an example number).
  5. In What to say, the message — Read aloud when they answer. Needed unless a TwiML address is set. For example: This is Consulace. Order {{ $json.orderNumber }} is ready for collection.
  6. In Voice, choose Aditi (Indian English) (the default), Raveena (Indian English), Joanna (US English) or Amy (British English).
  7. In Language, choose English (India) (the default), Hindi, English (US) or English (UK).
  8. Select Run this step to make a test call.

Or a TwiML address — Optional — instead of What to say, an https address that answers with TwiML. — is for a call you have scripted yourself in Twilio's TwiML. When it is filled in, What to say, Voice and Language are not used.

Output

Field What it is
id Twilio's id for the call — it starts with CA.
status Usually queued: Twilio is about to ring.
from, to The numbers it called from and to.

Good to know

  • The step succeeds when Twilio starts the call, not when it is answered. The run moves on straight away; whether they picked up is in the Twilio Console under Monitor › Logs › Calls.
  • Choose a voice that speaks the language. Aditi speaks English (India) and Hindi; Raveena English (India); Joanna English (US); Amy English (UK). A voice given a language it does not speak can make the call fail after it starts.
  • For Hindi, write the message in Devanagari with Aditi and Hindi.
  • Voicemail. If an answering machine picks up, Twilio reads the message to it.
  • On a trial account Twilio plays its trial notice first, and calls only verified numbers.
  • Runs once per item. Ten items make ten calls. Twilio bills each call by the minute.

If something goes wrong

What you see Why What to do
Twilio refused: The number +919876543210 is unverified. Trial accounts may only make calls to verified numbers. A trial account, and the number is not verified. Verify it in Twilio under Verified Caller IDs, or upgrade the account.
Twilio refused: The source phone number provided, …, is not yet verified for your account. … From is a number not in this account. Choose one of the account's phone numbers.
A call goes from one of the account's numbers, not a messaging service. Choose a number in From. From holds a messaging service's SID, from a value or an older step. Choose one of the account's phone numbers.
Twilio refused: The phone number you are attempting to call, …, is not valid. To is not a number in international form. Write it with + and the country code, no spaces.
Twilio refused: Account not authorized to call … The account is not allowed to call that country. Allow it in Twilio under Voice › Settings › Geo permissions.
What to say is empty when the step ran — an earlier step may not have given the value it names. Neither What to say nor Or a TwiML address has a value. Fill in one of them.
To is empty when the step ran — … The value came out empty. Check the value it reads.
Twilio refused: Authenticate. Check the connection's details on Connections. The Auth Token was changed in Twilio. Revoke the connection and reconnect it with the new token.